This weekend will be another public test for Path of Exile, the upcoming indie action/RPG, as players will be offered access to the beta beginning September 14th. You can find all the details in this FAQ, and here's a bit:

So far, the much-anticipated game has raised over USD$1,200,000 in a Kickstarter-like campaign from fans buying access to the closed beta, virtual pets and pre-purchased game currency. This weekend is the opportunity for anyone to try to game for free, without having to buy a supporter pack.

The Path of Exile Beta servers will open for public access at 5pm PDT on Friday, September 14. Public access will end at 11:59pm PDT Sunday night, September 16. A full FAQ about the public weekend is available at www.pathofexile.com/publicweekend/.

When released, the game will be free to play, but will not feature ‘pay-to-win’. A previous public weekend in July attracted 55,000 players.

The latest patch adds new skills such as Arctic Breath and Ghost Reaver, additional quests, greatly improved minion functionality and a new look for item hovers.

A host of unique items have been added, including several designed by Brother Laz, author of the popular Diablo 2 mod Median XL. Over 90 fans who have purchased the USD$1000 ‘Diamond Supporter’ pack also get to design unique items for the game.

While the game is currently in a Closed Beta, fans who pre-purchase at least USD$10 of credit for the game’s ‘ethical microtransactions’ receive a beta key.

It's really not enough for me for a F2P game to not be pay to win for it to be worth my time. Tribes Ascend by most accounts is not pay to win but I still disliked it. It's generally the reliance on multiplayer interaction with strangers of varying maturity levels and the extremely jarring inclusion of real-world systems like advertising, cash shops, and auction houses.

To be clear I am not bashing PoE, which from screenshots, videos, and previews looks to be well-made and sure to be entertaining. I'm not really even bashing the F2P model; rather, I'm illustrating why I personally do not like the model and am not usually willing to even try most games using the model. Obviously a lot of people like it as it has really caught on.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi